Overweight and obesity are growing problems, for example over 60% of the American population can be classified as overweight or obese. Weight gain occurs when a human has a higher energy intake (food) than energy expenditure (resting metabolic rate+activity). Since this misbalance causes the weight gain problem, many weight loss programs require that users log the food consumed and activities done in order to estimate the calorie balance.
Tables and equations exist for converting nutrition values and activities into calorie intake and expenditure, respectively. However, manual calorie counting is a cumbersome process requiring knowledge, time, effort, recording and discipline. Thus, calorie logging is a problem for many people and hence it is a challenge for researchers to find a solution therefore.
One of the most difficult and costly areas of healthcare involves the need for modifying an individual's lifestyle to prevent body disorders and/or chronic diseases. Bad eating and activity habits can strongly influence the risk of overweight and obesity, and therefore of co-morbidities like type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and cancer.
In the international patent application WO 2005/013177 A2, a method, system, and apparatus is disclosed for health management monitoring. The system is designed to constantly monitor dynamic within-day energy balance deviations in real time. The patent application discloses a method for automatically determining an energy balance deviation. Thereto, it describes methods for determining energy (caloric) expenditure, methods for determining energy (caloric) intake, methods for determining within-day energy balance, and different sets of options on such devices for the general population, for public health, for fitness enthusiasts, for weight loss program attendees, and for research and clinical settings.
The energy intake can be predicted, among other ways, from the specific amounts and types of food consumed over a defined period of time. The basis of the nutric and caloric content of the foods consumed can be determined using freely available computerized databases. The within-day energy balance, defined as the ratio of energy intake and energy expenditure over a period of 24 hours or multiples of 24 hours, should not deviate too much from zero. According to the cited patent application, the energy balance should be considered for shorter periods during the day. Preferably, the within-day energy balance should be relatively close to zero. The system described in the cited patent application can notify users, such as through a series of beeps and/or vibrations, when within-day energy surpluses or energy deficits have exceeded the established bounds for pre-set goals. These cues can advise the user, for example, to eat or stop eating. The system can provide instantaneous feedback when the within-day energy balance deviates too much from zero, or it can provide a graphic output of a day's energy deficits and surplus using a device such as a personal computer. Energy intake, or food consumption, can be estimated through simple push-button descriptions of relative meal size and fat content, or through a pre-entered food list of foods commonly consumed by individual users or of foods recommended by weight loss programs. The system of the prior art requires the user to manually provide input about foods consumed. It turns out that the manual user input about foods consumed is not always correct.